Faculty Opinions recommendation of New opportunities for endometrial health by modifying uterine microbial composition: present or future?

Current knowledge suggests that the uterus harbours its own microbiota, where the microbes could influence the uterine functions in health and disease; however, the core uterine microbial composition and the host-microbial relationships remain to be fully elucidated. Different studies are indicating, based on next-generation sequencing techniques, that microbial dysbiosis could be associated with several gynaecological disorders, such as endometriosis, chronic endometritis, dysfunctional menstrual bleeding, endometrial cancer, and infertility. Treatments using antibiotics and probiotics and/or prebiotics for endometrial microbial dysbiosis are being applied. Nevertheless there is no unified protocol for assessing the endometrial dysbiosis and no optimal treatment protocol for the established dysbiosis. With this review we outline the microbes (mostly bacteria) identified in the endometrial microbiome studies, the current treatments offered for bacterial dysbiosis in the clinical setting, and the future possibilities such as pro- and prebiotics and microbial transplants for modifying uterine microbial composition. PMID: 32290428 Funding information This work was supported by: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, International Grant ID: PRE2018-0854409 University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2016 - Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES) - and Plan Propio de Investigación 2018 - Programa Contratos-Puente, and the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, In, International Grant ID: SOMM17/6107/UGR European Regional Development Fund, International Grant ID: B-CTS-500-UGR18 Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de España, International Grant ID: SAF2017-87526 Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de España, International Grant ID: RYC-2016-21199